The cricket thread

crunchman

I think Dawson is in because they don't want to pick 8 batsmen.  Top order batsmen don't seem to bat well at 8 anyway.  There's not a lot of point in going in with 5 seamers so I can understand leaving TRJ out.

As stated above, they would have been better picking Foakes and taking the gloves off of Bairstow.

earwighoney

crunchman said:

Looking ahead to the test series, surely they have to play Foakes.

Century for England Lions against South Africa A, and by all accounts a better keeper than Bairstow or Buttler.

Let Bairstow play as a batsman.  Sangakkara batting average 40.5 as a keeper, 66.8 when playing as a batsman.  For England: Stewart average 34 as a keeper, 46 as a batsman.  Bairstow may well be our best batsman so liberate him from the gloves.  You will get more out of him as a batsman, Foakes is a better keeper, and as an added bonus Bairstow is a much better fielder than Ballance who will probably come in otherwise.

I agree with all your points.  

I've seen a fair amount of Ben Foakes and he really has something behind the stumps with the gloves.  

Atherton made a point of his XI selection would be based around the batting strengths of Bairstow, who has been in exceptional form and deserves a go to play as specialist batsman. 

I believe Stoneman deserves a chance at the top of the order.  

scrumhalf

Something's very wrong with our batting if we are continually 3 down for less than 50. Admittedly SA have a very good bowling line-up, and with Steyn to come it can only get better.

scrumhalf

I do enjoy watching Joe Root bat.

RandallFlagg

What a turn around, match saved by Rooty. Good lad.

NickL

Dear old Blowers would get thoroughly confused if Stokes, Foakes and Woakes were all in the same team wouldn't he. Maybe it's best to leave that selection until he hangs up his microphone.

Heartfeltdawn

crunchman said:

I think Dawson is in because they don't want to pick 8 batsmen.  Top order batsmen don't seem to bat well at 8 anyway.  There's not a lot of point in going in with 5 seamers so I can understand leaving TRJ out.

As stated above, they would have been better picking Foakes and taking the gloves off of Bairstow.

I can understand not going in with five seamers but going in with seamers who have all had recent/ongoing fitness issues is a risk. If you're not going to play TRJ at Lords, then where will he play? He'll end up like Mark Footitt, part of a squad but seemingly always on the periphery.

With the pitch offering turn, a couple of friends have said that Dawson was in for his spin options and his batting. I pointed out that Rashid averages more than Dawson with the bat in FC cricket and has a better FC bowling average as well. Dawson feels like a covering selection rather than a decisive one and to me it indicate that management do not regard Rashid as a Test bowler. One of the Cricinfo commentators described the selection as a passive one and I agree with that. 

There are some good young keepers out there. Foakes gets the plaudits but the like of Davies at Lancs and Ben Cox at Worcs are good glovemen and improving batsmen. It's a good sign for English cricket as the keeping role has been rather neglected over the last few years. 

scrumhalf

Liam Dawson. No, don't see it.

cj73

Rabada banned for next test because of something he did on day two of this test??

Ban him for the rest of this test, that's a proper punishment.

RandallFlagg

Despite a 2nd innings op order collapse, England cruise home against SA at Lords. An unusually good bowling wicket dealt up for this Lord's Test making for some tricky batting day 3/4. 

Next up Trent Bridge, bring it on!

scrumhalf

Eighteen wickets falling in one day, will the pitch inspectors be called in?

camf

England thumped! So who's out and who should come in?

camf

Is it time for Ian bell to arise like Lazarus?

scrumhalf

To not bat out 100 overs in a Test match where the opponnents top 300 twice is shocking.

Bye-bye to Jennings, Ballance and Dawson. The first two are badly out of nick and Dawson serves no tangible purpose. Wood might be worrying a bit about his place, he's not been the speed demon of old. No idea if Woakes will be fit, but if he is he must be under consideration.

As for the batting - we have a serious problem. There seems to be too much of a one-day mentality in our batting. It needs to be drummed into our batsmen that occupying the crease for two days requires certain shots to be put out of consideration. Maybe they need to be sat down to watch Atherton's rearguard action from 20-odd years ago.

Gassage

We have some serious issues and the core is FC cricket- it is rubbish.

How can you find the next cab off rank when they're no rank?

Need a RH in top 3.

Rashid needs to be persisted with.

Wood- he's not one thing or the other and 90mph ain't qucik enough if you do nothing with it.

Woakes will make a diff. I'd be well happy with Belly.

scrumhalf

Ballance may have a hand injury which owuld rule him out of the next two Tests.

Make up your own joke about how this may have happened.

RandallFlagg

RandallFlagg said:

Despite a 2nd innings op order collapse, England cruise home against SA at Lords. An unusually good bowling wicket dealt up for this Lord's Test making for some tricky batting day 3/4. 

Next up Trent Bridge, bring it on!

Bring it on?

Take it away, shambles. 

I love being an England fan

rsvmark

Just enjoyed the England ladies winning the World Cup. Very exciting game at the end

Gassage

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p05b5j5t

Genius.

scrumhalf

In the words of Fred Trueman, I do not know what is going off out there.

This series is see-sawing all over the place.